Thursday, December 1, 2022

Strangeville School is Totally Normal by Darcy Miller, illustrated by Brett Helquist - ESSENTIAL

Strangeville School is Totally Normal
(Strangewille School #1) by Darcy Miller, illustrated by Brett Helquist
256 pages. Random House. 2021. $18.

 Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (Peril, loose biting animals, a giant rat); 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

Harvey Hill is a 5th grader and is the newest kid at Strangeville School. Stella, a reporter for the school paper has been assigned to show Harvey around, and they quickly become friends, along with a girl named Nevaeh. She warns him about the Supply Closet - which seems to be out to get everyone, and Harvey spends his first day dodging escaped crocodiles and a mutant rat which gets bigger every time he sees it - the victim of someone's science experiment. Students and staff are disappearing, and Harvey and Stella get caught up in an adventure trying to save the day. 

Strangeville School is delightful; a mix of Wayside School and Welcome to Nightvale which would make a fantastic read-aloud. The Vice Principal's announcements throughout the day are to die for, and the story's twists and turns will keep everyone's attention. Helquist's illustrations and fun as well. Harvey is white, Stella is Asian and Nevaeh is black.

Lisa Librarian

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